The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbomachinery, and more particularly, to monitoring turbine performance.
In power generation systems, turbines, such as gas turbines or steam turbines, may convert fuel and air (e.g., an oxidant) into rotational energy. For example, a gas turbine may compress the air, via a compressor, and mix the compressed air with the fuel to form an air-fuel mixture. A combustor of the gas turbine may then combust the air-fuel mixture and use energy from the combustion process to rotate one or more turbine blades, thereby generating rotational energy. The rotational energy may then be converted into electricity, via a generator, to be provided to a power grid, a vehicle, or another load.
Various parts of the turbine, such as the compressor, the combustor, or the one or more turbine blades, may degrade or corrode over time while being exposed to the air fuel mixture or other environmental agents. For instance, the air entering the gas turbine may include dust that enters the compressor. The dust may cause degradation, corrosion, or other damage to the compressor, resulting in unplanned outages or other failures.